Autumn's Eternity
by Chizwiffle
Summary: UPDATED with chapter 8! FINALLY! Nibbs is captured, and something is happening to Peter. Can they find and save Nibbs before its too late? lots of angst and torture. Chap 8 is now up! YAYY!
1. Shadows Within

Authors Note- Well here it is! My very first Peter Pan fanfic! I hope you guys all like it. The first chapter here might not seem very entertaining, but I assure you that its going to have a lot more action and a lot more Peter angst, and definitely some Peter/Wendy at some point also. This fic is different. I wanted to feature the lost boys more, but at the same time, still have just as much of Peter and Wendy and the regular characters. Hope you enjoy. Be prepared, I haven't seen torture like this in any Peter Pan fic yet!

P.S. Everyone needs to go see the movie if they haven't already! Jeremy is amazing! (not to mention gorgeous!) Oh yea! This fic is loosely based off the 2003 movie, so think of the characters that way. Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Rachel Hurd-Wood and *drum roll* Harry Eden as Nibbs! Ok now go read. I have talked enough! MLA!

  


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He walked cautiously though the trees. They seemed so different at night. The forest was eerie, and deathly still. The trees were thick. During the day they made for great hiding places while playing hide and seek with the lost boys. But at night, he realized, his own fun and games turned on him. They proved great places for all manner of beastly things to hide in the night. His arms shook, trembling. All senses had betrayed him, and his imagination had taken over. Shadows loomed and lurked in the corners of his vision. The trees seemed to jump at him, reaching for him.

A snap. What was that!? His head turned sharply to the left. More shadows moved. Another snap. His head turned towards his right. The shadows danced almost tauntingly. Something made a noise behind him, and his courage failed. He ran, his weapon falling from nerveless fingers. The tree branches whipped at his face, and scratched ceaselessly at his skin, in an effort to hinder his escape, but he continued to run. The noises followed, echoing his every footstep.

The trees all seemed the same. He had only one direction to run, and he hoped that soon the golden warmth of his tree, his home, would peak through the darkness.

More noises, they were gaining on him. The trees rustled behind him, and his heart leapt into his throat. Something grabbed at his arm. He managed a quick cry.

Pain blossomed through his skull.

The darkness reached towards him unhindered.

And he knew no more.

  


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"Oh Peter, shouldn't Nibbs have returned by now?" Wendy asked, turning worriedly to Peter from her place of vigil at the window. The lost boys, John, and Michael all turned to Peter sitting in his chair. Peter fingered his knife idlely.

"Wendy it hasn't been that long. Plus, it's dark out, which makes it harder to see where you are going." He answered in a nonchalant manner. Wendy's eyes widened.

"Are you telling me that he might be lost!? Out there!?" she gasped. Peter sighed exasperatedly and rolled his eyes, placing his knife back in its sheath.

"What I am saying is that he will come back. Stop worrying yourself to death and asking every few minutes. Its late, why don't you all get some sleep. Nibbs will be here in the morning when you wake up."

Wendy turned back to the window.

"It was wrong for you to send him out there Peter." She whispered darkly.

"He needs to face this fear Wendy. I am rather tired of it all. None of the rest of us are afraid of the dark. He needs to see that there is nothing to worry about. It needed to be done."

Wendy did not turn. She sighed quietly and solemnly laid down in bed. She did not acknowledge the others, just pulled the blanket up to her chin, and turned her back to them. Peter stared at her back for a few moments, before ushering the other to bed. They obeyed quietly. Curly glanced at the door, silently wishing for it to open, and see his best friend, his brother step in with that trademark smirk upon his face. But such was not so. His sigh echoed Wendy's, before he too drifted off to sleep.

Peter never went to bed before the lost boys. He remained motionless in his chair, silently waiting for Nibbs to return. The candles flickered, and soon the shadows of reality blurred with the illusions of his dreams.

  


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They were all flying over Mermaid Lagoon. Once a week Peter allowed the lost boys to fly with him and Tink. They all enjoyed it immensely. What followed was a tour of Neverland from the air. He turned his head. Nibbs, as always, was by his side. He looked at Curly, a sad smile upon his face. Curly opened his mouth to speak. Nibbs glanced down below them, then back to Curly. The smile, the sad smile returned. Curly watched in shock as Nibbs closed his eyes and fell silently from the air. He screamed, reaching out but was unable to grasp him in time. He tried, but all he could do was watch his friend fall. He saw Hook's ship come into view underneath them. He saw Nibbs falling in slow motion, towards that fateful deck.

"Nibbs!" Curly screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed, and narrowly missing the low ceiling. The others were jerked awake by his cry. Wendy was the first to reach Curly, taking him in her arms, soothing him. Curly clutched desperately to her, whispering Nibbs' name repeatedly. Slightly looked around for Nibbs, but he was not there. He turned back.

"Peter, where is Nibbs?" he asked cautiously.

"He...fell!" Curly gasped out before Peter could answer. They all looked at him incredulously, but Curly had his eyes shut and his face half buried in Wendy's arm. When his shaking had ceased Peter cautiously asked him what happened. Worry already etched into his heart quickly changed to anziety as Curly related his dream.

There was a shocked silence followed by a frenzy to gather weapons when Curly finished. Peter refused to believe that what he had heard was true. Nibbs had just gotten lost that's all. They would search and find him sleeping under some tree. Yes that's it, sleeping.

Each went in groups of two, quickly scouring the forest. Curly paired with the twins, John and Michael, Slightly and Tootles, Peter and Wendy. Silence reigned as they searched desperately for the literally "lost" boy. Peter felt the heaviness of guilt descend upon his heart. Only good graces allowed him to fly and scour from the treetops. A choked cry interrupted their searching, and they ran to Curly and the twins. Curly knelt on the forest floor, staring shocked at something in his hands, while the twins watched.

It was Nibbs' bow. Slightly and Tootles entered the scene from a little further down, each carrying a couple of arrows. The twins glanced up at Peter.

"What have you done?" They whispered quietly in unison. Everyone glanced at Peter with different emotions upon their faces. Expectations, and anger, some sad, others just horrified. His eyes wide, Peter fought to respond, but was interrupted suddenly and painfully.

  


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Well there it is! The first chapter! I hope you all liked it! I will be back soon with the next chapter I promise! These next ones are where it gets better! Please review, I don't usually get many. So even if you want to flame you can I don't mind. MLA everyone!

Shauna


	2. Shadows Searching

AN – I would really like to thank Enola for the one review I received. It really means a lot to me. So, just for her I am going to continue this fic. And I hope I didn't make you wait too long! I hope it sounds interesting and keeps you interested also. Lol, well not you will find out what happened to Peter at the end of the chapter and what happened to Nibs, though its not over. Not at all. You will see that haha.

I would also like to thank Luvin_Gabriel, or Nat, author of "Let the Fight Begin" for her help with the ideas. She asked the questions that allowed me to figger out how I was going to work this fic, and she is not my BETA reader. So I really appreciate all the help she has given me. Everyone should go and read hers. Its amazing. (I think everyone reads it already though)

Ok enough of my talking. It might seem like this isn't really a cliffhanger, but I can tell you that it actually is, when you read what comes after this chapter. So enjoy!

  


  


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Nibs slowly came to with a barely audible groan. The darkness that had plagued him for hours receded slightly. It was replaced by little more than darkness once again, though this time of some unknown place. The floor beneath him was cold and dank. The rock dug into his skin and he realized that his hands were bound. Memories flooded his mind and he looked around desperately. Faint lamplight slowly came towards him, accompanied by echoing footsteps, the sound bouncing off the wall. Nibs wiggled his hands in an effort to free them of their bonds, but whoever had tied them, knew how to tie knots.

Hook strode haughtily into view. There seemed to be almost a sly smile marring his face. Nibs gulped, not sure what to expect.

"Aha! So you ARE awake! Wonderful!" The hook waved in front of its owner's face. The smile left so quickly that Nibs wondered if he had really seen it.

"As you know, we are still searching for Peter Pan. I am sure you know where he is, so I shall make a deal with you..." he fingered his hook, "you tell us where Pan is hiding, and I shall set you free. Hm?" A fake smile plastered itself on his face.

Nibs, scared as he was, curled his lip up in disgust. He spit at Hook's feet.

"Never!" he whispered fiercely. Hook grabbed his neck with his left hand.

"I am fed up with searching!" He shook Nibs with each word for emphasis.

"If you do not tell me where he is, I shall make your stay with us so painful, you will be begging for death long before we kill you."

Nibs gulped, but he kept his cool. He wouldn't sacrifice Peter, or the others for that matter. Never.

"Never!" his voice echoed his thoughts. Hook sighed, seemingly bored with this game. He struck without warning, his hook pierced Nibs' stomach. A long jagged gash blossomed with blood across his abdomen. Nibs gasped in shock, unable to hold it in. The tears fought to free themselves. He calmed himself down and looked up at Hook defiantly. Hook motioned two pirates over. They roughly grabbed Nibs and led him to another room.

  


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Peter looked desperately at the others, all staring back at him waiting for an answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but what came out was a pained gurgle. The others stared in shock as he fell to the forest floor on his knees, clutching his stomach. Wendy knelt beside him. His breathing was erratic as he sought to compose himself from the excruciating pain. The questions of the lost boys fell upon deaf ears.

Suddenly it stopped. His breathing evened out and the pain subsided somewhat. He shakily but slowly stood up, Wendy holding his arm for support. Tinkerbell flew worriedly in front of Peter's face, chiming away. Peter looked at her dazedly. The others were silent, watching intently.

"It was Nibs Tink."

They all gasped and the questions flew fast and hard at Peter. Wendy saw him shut his eyes tightly and felt him sway.

"Stop!" she whispered. It was not heard, for the boys continued to question Peter.

"Stop!" A scream this time. Silence was restored suddenly, as they stared at Wendy, before realizing Peter's condition. Wendy pulled him gently to the ground. When he had regained his vertigo, Peter opened his eyes, and quietly spoke.

"I don't know how," he started, staring at nothing, then looking down to where he clutched his stomach, "but it was Nibs." Slowly he removed his hands. Everyone's mouth dropped in shock. Peter's hands were bloody, reflecting the bloody gash running the width of his stomach. The pain was all too real.

Wendy took the edge of her nightgown and gently wiped the blood away from one end. Peter winced. Wendy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Peter, there's no injury." Peter looked down. The other boys had crowded around Wendy and Peter, who still knelt upon the floor. Curly gently wiped some of the blood with his finger, staring at it.

"Nibs" he spoke quietly. Pain flickered through Peter's eyes that had nothing to do with his "injury." Wendy clutched Peter's "kiss" about her neck. The other boys hung their heads. Wendy moved first, wiping the rest of the blood of Peter's stomach. Peter gasped again.

"The pain! It's...gone." he whispered. Tink tapped her chin thoughtfully, chimed a quick 'be back soon' to Peter, and took off, vanishing through the woods. Peter stood up, his stance much steadier.

"We need to find Nibs. We need to find him now." The others nodded.

"What about the mermaids Peter?" Slightly asked quietly, "They might know something." Peter nodded, and they took off towards the lagoon. Peter flew ahead of them above the treetops.

  


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Nibs struggled against the two Pirates that all but carried him out of the room. The effort was futile however, for his strength of resistance was minimal. The caves they passed through all seemed the same. Gray, bare rock walls closed around him. The light of Hook's lantern cast an eerie glow about the entire area.

He was roughly dropped to the ground in the center of a rather large room. It was circular, and appeared to be the main room of the cave system they currently inhabited. A large fire burned merrily, casting around an orange flickering glow.

Nibs groaned from his position on the floor. The fall had dropped him on his right arm, and he was unable to stop it due to his bound hands. He immediately looked around for a means of escape. Pirates lined the walls; some played cards, some were drinking, others would move in and out of the dark side caves carrying various items. Nibs sighed. There was no way he could escape with so many pirates around. There was another problem also, he realized as he looked around again; he did not know which cave was the way out.

A silence pervaded the air, and Nibs turned back towards Hook. His hook was up, motioning for silence.

"Welcome, one and all, our new guest!" he motioned to Nibs. With a wink he continued, "I hope we will all make his stay with us....pleasureable." They all laughed. Nibs breath caught. Hook turned and spoke to him.

"Now, you have your chance. Tell me where Pan is, and I will spare you the pain of finding out myself." Nibs once again sneered, though it was not as potent. It became more of a pained grimace because of the gash across his stomach. Hook placed his hook across the fire, until the tip glowed red hot. He then placed it close to Nibs' wide-eyed face. Too close. Nibs pulled back, away from the heat, showing fear for the first time.

"No..." he pleaded, "Please no...please!" But Hook did not listen. He brought the hook down.

Nibs' screams were soon echoing throughout Neverland.

  


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Well there you go guys. I hope you enjoyed that. It might be too short, but once again, I am cutting up one big thing that I wrote. It will change soon. Enjoy! See you all at the next update!  
MLA  
Shauna


	3. Shadows Descend

AN – Wow! Look at all the reviews I received for this chapter! I feel so honored! Wow I really love you guys. I know that these first three chapters have been a bit short. This one is going to be short also, but thats because I already had these written, and I needed to separate them. But now I will be writing the chapters one at a time, so they should become longer after this. I hope you like this part. Its all Peter this time. So enjoy. Lots of angst I think in this one. Though it also seems a bit rushed, but I guess thats the way this part is supposed to be. Oh well. Thank you all for the reviews!

  


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Shadows Descend

  


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Peter flew through the treetops, scanning for any sign of pirates, as well as keeping a watch on the lost boys and Wendy. He would never admit it. He couldn't admit it. He couldn't possibly reveal how weak he felt after the weird experience in the clearing. He needed to be strong for the others, and he needed to find Nibs. He was scared. He didn't know what was happening, or why it was effecting him. All he knew was that it had something to do with Nibs, and he was still in pain. Truth be told, the pain in his stomach had not fully retreated. It still throbbed. He didn't know why it still throbbed. That scared him. He really wished Tink was there with him, but she had vanished without so much as a chime of explanation. So he continued to look, scanning the forest floor on the way to the lagoon.

Wendy did her own scanning on the ground. She also made sure all the boys stayed together and that no one got lost. They all searched the area as they passed through. What they were looking for they didn't know, but the feeling of at least trying to do something somewhat palliated the anxiety they all felt.

Never did the trip to the lagoon seem so long. The constant scanning the ground seemed repetitive; and no one had any hope of finding Nibs along the way. Wendy motioned to Peter. He flew down and hovered just close enough so she could speak.

"How far is the lagoon?" she asked breathlessly. Peter flew up and took a look over the treetops. A hand pointed.

"Just over there," he called down, in a slightly strained voice. No one noticed though. Wendy bent down, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The others mimicked her actions. Peter tried not to appear impatient. Granted, he was exhausted himself, but they had to find Nibs.

"I'll meet you guys at the lagoon ok?" he called down. Wendy could only nod, not bothering to look up at him. He pursed his lips and flew off, absentmindedly rubbing off a small ache in his right arm.

Wendy stood up and glanced at the others. The twins appeared to have regained their breath, and were watching Slightly and Tootles as they started up another argument. Wendy shushed them before it blew out of proportion. She turned to Curly, seeing him still bent over. But on closer look she realized he was crying. The small sounds he emanated were barely audible when others were talking. Wendy went over and placed her arm about his shoulders.

"Curly what's wrong?" she asked gently. His breathing hitched with a hiccup-like sound and he looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. The pain reflected in those depths made Wendy almost step back in shock, but she kept her composure.

"Something terrible is happening." he whispered cryptically, turning his head up to the sky. Slightly looked at him confused, about to speak, when two screams cut the air. One seemed to echo, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. They needed no hint as to whom the scream belonged to. The second scream was much closer, and accompanied by a thud. Curly turned a shocked face towards the lagoon. They all glanced at one another, before running head long towards their destination, trying as hard as they could to block out the horrible screams.

Wendy and the boys broke through the fringe of trees next to the lagoon just as out of breath as before. Peter was writhing in obvious agony on the rock near the water. His screams were much louder now, and Wendy wasted no time in reaching him.

"Peter! Peter!" she screamed, to be heard over his screams. She clasped his hand and pulled him to her, trying to alleviate his pain. His screams echoed Nibs' ghostly screams, each tearing the heart of the others. Curly clutched his ears desperately, dropping to his knees beside Peter. Wendy watched Peter's face as he twisted from side to side, arching his back. Sweat ran down his face and matted his dirty blond locks to his forehead. Curly grabbed Peter's other hand.

"Peter please. Please stop. Wake up Peter please." he chanted. The twins gasped and pointed at Peter's body simultaneously.

"Look!" They shouted. The others directed their attention.

Large, red, hook-shaped welts were slowly appearing on Peter's arms and chest. They turned a deep ghastly red before fading slightly. There was a faint line blossoming across Peter's abdomen, signs of the previous injury. Wendy clutched Peter tightly, bending down to rest her forehead against his.

"Oh lord. Oh this can't be happening. This must end. How could someone do something like this? Please make it stop. Please let this end, oh!" Tears formed in her eyes. Peter's screams died down, so did the ghostly screams, but he continued to shake in Wendy's arms. Wendy rocked back and forth, silently pleading with Peter to open his eyes. Slightly, Tootles, and the twins could only watch helplessly, not quite sure what to do. Slightly finally knelt beside Curly and cautiously placed his arm about Curly's shoulders, as he had seen Wendy do previously. Curly clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably. Whispered sentences poured from his mouth, and every now and then Slightly heard Nibs' name.

Peter's shaking ceased suddenly and his harsh breathing became barely audible. Wendy lifted her head so she could see his face clearly, panic beginning to set in at his too still body.

"Peter? Peter!? Oh God Peter!?" she shook him roughly. His head lolled lifelessly in her lap. She bent down. He had a heartbeat, he was alive. But his fair skin was deathly pale, too pale. The lost boys watched worriedly. Wendy continued to shake him, calling his name until the mantra echoed through the lagoon. The desperation reached a crescendo, and her screams reached unbelievable heights.

"TINKERBELL!" 

And all was still after that. Wendy once again rested her forehead on Peter's, sobbing quietly to herself. Slightly held Curly as the boy cried for Nibs and Peter. Tootles, watching both, suddenly started when a small ball of glitter flew in front of his face.

"Tink!" he shouted, overjoyed and relieved to see her. "Tink you must help Peter!" he pointed. Wendy lifted her head at Tink's name and motioned towards Peter also.

"Please do something Tink!" she whispered, eyes full of hope. Tink hovered over Peter, and turned to speak to Tootles. Tootles translated.

"She wants water from the lagoon." One twin followed his command. He passed the bowl to Wendy. Tink hovered over the water and sprinkled it with fairy dust until it glowed. More chimes.

"She says he needs to drink that." Tootles spoke. Wendy pulled Peter up until his head was resting against her shoulder. Curly gathered himself together, and helped her to get Peter to drink the water. Peter swallowed on reflex, much to their relief. A few seconds, which seemed like minutes, passed silently; everyone watched Peter with hopeful anticipation, though none knew what to expect.

Peter suddenly gasped and his eyes shot open wide as he arched his back. He clutched desperately at Wendy and Curly's hands, which were still locked into his, though he was not aware of it. They watched as he forced himself to breathe, forced himself to keep breathing, and not pass out again. They all continued to watch apprehensively until his breathing evened out, and he seemed to relax in Wendy's arms. Everyone let out a collective breath, which they all seemed to have been holding.

"Tink..." Peter whispered weakly looking up at her, "You're....back." He coughed harshly. Tink hugged his cheek affectionately, chiming away. Peter smiled, still not aware of his surroundings.

"Well I hope you have some better news for us than we have been getting." They all saw her nod, but it wasn't because of good news. They had questions, and now, she had answers.

  


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Well I hope you liked! And now, on to the thank-yous!

  


**Enola** – Thanks! I practice really hard on perfecting my own style of writing. There are different ways I write that coincide with the mood being reflected in the section. Lol, Haha yea its a red-hot hook. I think it needs to show the many ways it can be used *wink* I love my evil also, but the sad part is, I can't really write torture. I am afraid to really really describe it. So the way I have been writing it lets the reader know whats happening, and then leaves it to their imaginations to play it out their own way. Lol there is a reason Peter is feeling everything. You will find that out I think next chapter. I am not going to give up hope on the reviews. I think that people are starting to like it! Yay! Thanks so much for being with me since the first chapter! (haha that sounds funny since this is only the 2nd chapter) oh well.

  


**The Sadistic Cow** – Great name. My brother would love it. Yes I know ff.net really is evil sometimes. I can't stand it! Haha yea poor Nibs. He is my favorite of the lost boys, and I really wanted to feature them more. As you can tell. Curly is Nibs best friend, they are really really close, if you noticed that also. Thanks, for liking my style, I told Enola about it in my thanks to her above this. Haha, yea Nibs is scared of the dark, but that will come into play soon enough. Yay! You decided to keep me! I feel so special! I'll check out that site next chance I get! Wahoo! Lol.

  


**Katy** – Yea there aren't enough Nibs fics out there. So I decided we needed one! I will keep updating as fast as I can for you! Thanks for reviewing!

  


**Andrea** – Haha yea, I think that there aren't really any Peter fics that are dark and angsty. You never see them. Its always one of Wendy's children going and meeting Peter and whatnot. That needs to stop, so I made one that worked! I'll continue as fast as I can I promise!

  


**Ricky Ticky Tavi** – Yea I feel bad for Nibs also, because he is somewhat like a pawn in this fic. But I hope that the story comes out as well as you hope it to! Thanks, I'll try to keep it up!

  


**Thunder Rose** – Haha, yea I wanted something really really original, you can ask Nat (Luvin_Gabriel). Hook is really not going to be playing games in this one. He is fed up with searching for Peter and wants to finish it now. Thanks for the review! And the compliments are very much appreciated!

  


Well there you go. I will try to get the next chapter up asap, but its going to be hard. I have a snow day tomorrow where I am going to be working on a 10 page English thesis paper due on Tuesday. I will be lucky if I can get it out tomorrow, but I doubt it. And this week is really packed. We will see, if I have time to write it in class I will! I love you all so much! Thanks for the reviews! It really makes my day!

MLA  
Shauna

  



	4. Shadows Recede

AN – haha! Snow day! I love snow days! I am not sure if this is going to be posted on this snow day, depending on when my BETA reader sends it back to me. But I am writing this on a snow day! I hope you all like it! I am trying to kick the habit of writing short chapters! This is the chapter with the answers!

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Shadows Recede

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            Nibs cried out as the fiery pain spread through his body again and again.  Hook watched the boy writhe, trying in vain to escape the torture he was experiencing.  The slash across Nibs' stomach began to bleed again, for Nibs aggravated the wound with his harsh movements.  Hook gave him some time to breathe, as he re-heated his hook over the fire.

            Tears leaked from Nibs' eyes, and his screams receded to harsh breathing accompanied by the occasional moan.  Never before had he felt such pain.  Playtime was over for Hook, and Nibs' was experiencing this first-hand.  He barely had time to prepare himself before the hook was placed forcefully just under his left collarbone.  The skin it touched sizzled and Hook held it firmly in place against Nibs' attempts to remove it.  The screams began anew, though the reprieve had only been mere seconds.  The pirates, after the initial shock of seeing their Captain in action, cackled gleefully, reveling in the young boy's screams.  Nibs turned tear-filled eyes towards the fire, begging it to stop.  The hook descended once more.  Nibs screamed once more, but was finally allowed some relief as he blissfully passed out.  Hook stopped and turned to the pirates.

            "Take him back to the other cave."  He commanded.  Noodler stepped forward and quickly lifted Nibs, carrying him into a dark side-cave to the right.  The captain might be in a good mood after a good torture-fest, but all his pirates knew not to mess with his orders when he gave them out.

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            Peter groaned, attempting to sit up, but he was too weak.  Wendy and Curly pushed him back using their intertwined hands.  It was then that Peter realized his position.  He managed to turn enough to look at Wendy, though concentration was the only expression he carried.  Curly let go of Peter's hand and turned to Tink.  The others looked up also.  Tink made a few motions to Wendy and the bowl beside Peter.  Peter looked at Wendy puzzled.

            "Tink wants you to drink what's left in that bowl." He exclaimed quietly, breathlessly.  Wendy's expression mirrored Peter's, but she obeyed.  She let go of Peter's hand and leaned over him to reach the bowl.  The draft made her feel lightheaded for a moment, but there were no more effects after that.  She looked up at Tink, not sure what to expect.  Tink chimed away.

            Only it wasn't just chimes anymore.  Wendy gasped.

            "There's a first time for everything Wendy." Tink said lightly.  Wendy only stared, mouth open.  Peter grinned, as did the other lost boys.

            "What I am about to say, no one should be left out of." Tink continued.  She half smiled at Wendy.  She might not like the girl, but having her around did and would prove useful for aiding Peter.  Tink turned to Peter, the merriment receding to melancholy.  Peter noticed, and looked up expectantly.

            "Peter, do you remember what happened right before you came to Neverland?" Tink asked quietly.  They all turned to look at Peter.  His visage darkened in thought.

            "I ran away," he began, "and…" his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "and then I….I came to Neverland."  He was not happy with his own answer.  Tink smiled sadly at him.

            "Peter, I found you after you ran away to Kensington Gardens.  You were dreadfully sick, and I saw no other way to save you that bring you to Neverland."  She began somewhat hesitantly.  Peter looked at her, confused, not quite sure where this topic was heading.  Tink sighed, it was now or never.

            "Peter you were dying.  I brought you to Neverland to save you.  The fairy magic that you have inside you is the most potent and powerful magic on the island; it is the magic of Neverland itself.  The fairy dust was not given to you because it enabled you to fly.  It was given to you because it was the only way to save you."  Her voice rose in desperation.  This was hard to achieve because she was so small, but it worked.  Peter's mouth was agape, as were all the other mouths.  Slowly, the words sank in, and Peter turned reluctant eyes up to Tink in silent question.

            "Yes." She answered to his question.  He sighed and cast his eyes down at his hands, which he had managed to move into his lap.  Once again he tried to rise.  Wendy held him to her once again, but spoke to Tink before he could protest.

            "I don't understand.  What do his past magic experiences have to do with our current situation?" she asked, in a businesslike manner.  The lost boys nodded, asking for the answer to the same question.  Tink shrugged.

            "I don't know the entire reason.  Neverland is slowly taking back its magic, every time something happens to Nibs-" Curly let out a choked sob, "-and its hurting Peter.  I am not sure if Hook realizes just what is going on, but there is something special about this situation, for it is affecting Neverland itself."  She looked at each boy and then Wendy in turn, a grave expression on her face.  "I can not tell you just how important it is that we find Nibs.  We need to find him as soon as possible, for I fear the consequences, should we arrive too late."

            Now Tinkerbell was not a serious fairy.  Peter and the lost boys could remember few times when she was not laughing.  Everyone knew however, from the look on her face, that she was completely serious, and this was no joking matter.  Hook had taken the lost boys captive on countless occasions before this; but this was different.  This was extremely serious.  They needed to find Nibs, before it was too late.

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            Peter nodded resolutely and struggled to get up for a third time.  Wendy did not stop him this time, and it came as a surprise when he met no resistance from her.  He shakily stood, and slowly regained his balance.  His brief respite on the ground had lent him enough strength to stand and walk about.  Tink told him to fill the bowl with water again and he did so without question.  She sprinkled it again and told him to drink it.  It was a wonderful sight for Wendy and Curly especially to see Peter drink the solution on his own, when only moments ago they had to do it for him.

            Peter seemed to go through the motions almost robotically, and walked as one condemned.  He pulled out his pan pipes, and played his iconic melody.  All too soon the heads of the mermaids broke the surface of the water.  Everyone stayed back, bar Peter, who leaned forward and held a whispered conversation with them.  The conversation was short, though unfortunately not sweet at all.  Peter turned sullenly to the others when the mermaids swam away.

            "They don't know where Hook is.  They say that he came onto the island last night, for reasons they don't know, and that the pirates haven't returned to the ship yet.  There has been no sign of them since last night."  He turned downcast eyes to the ground.  The others were silent.  Curly clenched his fists to stop the tears from pouring forth again.  His breathing quickened, and his nostrils flared.

            "This is all your fault."  He spoke quietly.  Peter looked up from the ground at him, as did the others.  Curly kept his eyes on the ground.  "If it wasn't for you, this wouldn't be happening.  Nibs would be safe with us at home and we would be having fun."  He looked up, glaring daggers at Peter.  Peter was taken aback by the ferocity in Curly's voice.  Curly pointed accusingly at him, and strode forward.  Peter backed up, for the first time afraid.  The others watched amazed, for this was a sight they had never seen before.  But Curly did not stop there.  Peter looked behind him, and came to a stop at the edge of the rock they stood on.  Curly kept walking purposefully toward him, with no intention of stopping.  He poked Peter hard in the center of his chest with the finger he had been pointing.

            "How dare you.  How dare you be so selfish Peter.  This is all your fault! I can't believe you!  We all trusted you!  We trusted you with our lives, Nibs the most!  How could you do something like this!?"  His voice raised several octaves, as Curly's pain showed through his anger.  It dropped suddenly, as did the finger and Curly's eyes.  He looked once more at the ground, and he whispered, almost barely audible, compared to the volume of his voice previously.  "I hate you."

            Peter gasped, astonished.  His eyes widened, and he stepped backward, forgetting that there was no more ground.  Fly, he needed to fly.  He needed to get away.  He couldn't stay here.  The ill-fated fall quickly dissipated and he vanished into the afternoon sky.  The cry of the other's followed behind him, but he blocked them out.  How had things become so chaotic?  How had he let it happen?  How did he not realize it before it was too late?

            His fists clenched.  Finding Nibs was the only way that things would go back to normal.  He would find Nibs if it took him to his dying breath.  Anger lent him the adrenaline to remain in the air, and he quickly flew towards the Black Castle.  If he knew anything about Hook, he had most likely gone there.  Unbeknownst to him, Tink silently followed at a safe distance, and the others ran in the direction they had last seen Peter fly.

**********

            Wow there is a HUUUGE piece of foreshadowing in that last area.  Haha but I am not going to tell you what it is.  There are also pieces that might seem like foreshadowing, but really don't matter at all.  Haha I love doing that.  It's good to look so much into foreshadowing.  Because I can normally predict a lot of things, but now I am making it so that you can't predict! Haha!  Ok so it's not as long as I hoped to make it.  But this is actually longer than I originally would have left it.  I am trying to figger out where I want the next chapters to head, so there is only so much I can add to this one, when I don't know what I want for the next ones.   I hope you liked this one.  There are answers, but it's not all of the answers.  Enjoy!  Now to the reviews:

**Katy** – haha yea as you can tell you do find out soon.  Uum, yea I feel really bad for Peter and Nibs because it just doesn't stop for either of them.  But I am sure that if I am nice enough I will give them a break sometime.  Nothing happened to Peter during this chapter because Nibs has been unconscious, if you got that from the beginning there.

**Nat** – Hey hun! Yay you reviewed! And you liked it! Yay! Haha you're welcome, I love being your BETA reader! And you are mine! Thank you so much for taking on that role for MY fic! Aw shucks thanks! Lol. I hope you like the rest of the fic! Lol, since you will be getting this before everyone because you are my BETA!

**Ricky Ticky Tavi** – Yea Curly gets really emotional because this has never happened to him before.  Like, if they were ever captured, he was still with Nibs and the others.  He's really not taking it well, that he isn't there for Nibs, and that Hook is actually not playing any games this time.  It really pains him to see his best friend and brother being tortured (he is seeing it through Peter.)  So I feel really bad also.  But you can tell he isn't reacting well by the end of this chapter. Thanks for the review, of course you are getting shout-outs! Lol. I hope this chapter clears up some of your questions! Thanks for liking the fic! Haha.

**The Sadistic Cow** – Haha, yea Peter is most certainly feeling Nibs' pain. But don't come down to hard on him.  He has his own pain to deal with.  As you can tell they are all slowly turning on him, and it's just a lot on his plate.  But he will get what's coming to him. Oops I just gave out a little hint. Oh well, if you want to be mad at him now go ahead, but you will be sorry. *wink* I know it's his fault, but I still say poor Peter. I will continue as fast as I can! I am glad you like it!

**Pottersweetie** – Yay! Haha we are the yay girls! Haha I got a long review! I love long reviews! Yea I like to work on the details.  I really started my writing career after reading the Redwall series by Brian Jaques, and he really goes into detail like no other author I have seen.  I am updating as soon as I can! I know how it feels to wait. It really sucks! Haha you can keep asking me to update. I do the same thing, and maybe someday it will work! Haha. Yea I like having both points of view also, I just hope that it doesn't get too confusing.  Sometimes I will show it from Peter's point of view first, but other times it will be Nibs first, and yet they will be talking about the same moments. So I hope people understand that. Lol, updating ASAP!

**Yuki Asao** – Haha thanks! I feel bad for Nibs also.  It's not completely what is _Nibs_ connection with Peter, rather, what is _the_ connection with Peter.  It's supposed to be strange, so that people really don't know what it is, but when you find out it seems so obvious! *bwahaha*  Yay! Yea Hook is supposed to be evil, but I never see him evil enough! So he needed to be.  I thank you for telling me that I have his character down.  Really means a lot to me! It's a great compliment. Thanks!

Ok that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and I will try and update as soon as I can.  This coming week is finals for me, so I might not be able to till at least next week.  Don't kill me if I find no time. Please! Lol. MLA everyone!

Shauna


	5. Shadow Dreams

Author's Note – Hey guys! I started writing this before work on Wednesday, and I really like this one lol. Enjoy! Not much more to say! Haha. (Oh yea, I keep switching how to spell Nibbs name because one time I think it's right, it's wrong, and so I keep changing it. But now I know that this time it's right, so this is how it will stay. *wink*)

I would also like to thank my editor, Nat! She is awesome! Go read her fic, "Let the Fight Begin" because it's better than mine! 

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Shadow Dreams

**********

            Nibbs looked around.  Where was he?  The darkness no longer seemed entombed by the cold walls of his cave prison.  He slowly stood up: nothing hurt.  The last thing he remembered was Hook's sneering face, and pain.  Where was the pain?  He looked down; there were no marks on his body, no hook-shaped welts.  He felt his arms.  Everything felt normal.  When did his hands become free?  What was going on?

            He couldn't see more than a foot in front of his face.  He reached blindly, feeling for obstacles in his path, as he slowly walked forward.

            "Hello?" he called out to the stygian darkness.  His words echoed back to him.

            "Is anyone there?" he tried again.  Then he remembered: Hook.  He looked around worriedly.  Where was Hook?  Had Hook heard his calls?  His footsteps were much quicker now.  There had to be a way out!  There! Up ahead! A light!  It did not seem like a lantern though.  Rather, it was a softly glowing blue.  Was it the exit?  As he neared the light, it slowly began to take on a shape.

            "Peter!" he whispered happily.  Peter smiled at him, and nodded.

            "Why are you glowing?" Nibbs asked, reaching out to touch Peter.  His hand went through Peter's arm.  Nibbs gasped.  Peter appeared solid.  What was going on?  He stepped back.  Peter stepped forward and gently clasped Nibbs' arm.  He placed something on Nibbs' wrist.  Nibbs looked down.  It was a bracelet he had never seen before.  Peter smiled when Nibbs looked up again.  His eyebrows furrowed, uncomprehending, and began to ask what it was for, but Peter shook his head no.  Peter stepped back again.

            Slowly, as Nibbs watched, Peter glowed brighter, until his outline became almost invisible.  It lit up their surroundings.  Nibbs could see the forest behind them, and the water beneath them.  They were standing on a cliff?  And was that the Black Castle?  He didn't have time to think about it.  Suddenly the light detached from Peter.  The glowing ball of blue light hovered between them before vanishing into the bracelet on Nibbs' wrist.  Nibbs in turn looked at Peter, mouth open in shock.  Without the light about his form, Peter became a ghastly hue.  His lips were tinged with blue, and his skin was ashen gray.  Nibbs once again reached out.  Peter stepped out of reach and shook his head sadly.  His eyes closed, and Nibbs watched in shock as he fell to the ground.  He ran forward, but Peter slowly vanished before his eyes.  The light in the bracelet flared brightly, until all Nibbs could see was white.  Then it disappeared, and all was black again.

            "Peter!" Nibbs screamed, sitting up quickly.  He looked around.  The familiar walls of his prison surrounded him, and he felt the rope keeping his hands bound together.  His entire body was in pain.  His chest heaved as flashes of pain raced across his abdomen.  Nibbs sobbed.

            "Please help me." He whispered, curling up into a fetal position.  The darkness danced soothingly around him, lulling him back to sleep, the only place where he was truly safe.

**********

            Wendy and the others watched Peter fly out of sight.  They turned to Curly, who had refused to look up.  Wendy walked over and gently forced Curly to look up with a hand under his chin.  Stubbornly, though his head was up, Curly refused to look at Wendy.  Rather, he looked up into the sky.

            "Curly." She gently shook him.  He made no acknowledgement of her.  She sighed.

            "Curly please listen to me." His eyes traveled down to look at her, but it was the only movement he made.  The other lost boys came closer.

            "Curly, I know you are angry over what's happening.  We all are.  But you cannot take it out on Peter.  Do you not see how he is taking this?  He already feels the guilt over what happened.  And even now he is still being punished in ways no one knows how.  You mustn't take this out on him.  Promise me you won't, please Curly?"  Silence; then, slowly, a nod.  Wendy sighed, relieved, and turned to the others.

            "That goes for the rest of you also.  Do not take this out on Peter.  He has gone through so much, protecting you from Hook.  Now, he makes one mistake, and you come down hard on him.  He is going through a lot right now, and I fear to believe that this will be the time he needs us the most.  Inner strife amongst ourselves will not help get Nibbs back."  Nods answered her pleas.  She smiled.

            "Now, let's go find-"  
            "Peter!"  They looked around.  It was not a scream of agony, it was not a scream of pain.  Rather, a single, verbal plea for help, and everyone knew who it came from.  The group jumped slightly, looking up, yet knowing the source of the disembodied voice would not be seen.

            "Quickly now.  We must find Peter before night falls."  Wendy finished.  They made their way inland, hoping to catch up with Peter along the way.  Though this was highly unlikely, as they did not know where Peter had gone, and the fact that he was flying, left no tracks for them to follow.  They sincerely, though secretly, each hoped that Tink would find Peter, and lead them to him, before something else happened.

**********

            Peter flew entirely on instinct towards the Black Castle.  His mind was preoccupied, and dwelt miserably on what Curly had said.  Yet, he also fought desperately to hold on to some happy thoughts, in order to remain in the air.  Curly's words cut deep, and then echoed throughout the wounds they had made.  He gasped a choked intake of air.  It was all his fault.  Curly had every right to hate him.  They all did.  He would find Nibbs and return him to safe hands, it was the least he could do.  No!  Happy thoughts!  But he had no happy thoughts.

            The Black Castle loomed larger up ahead.  Peter sped up, and quickly flew through the gate, not bothering with caution.  But there was no one there.  Peter all but dropped into the hand of the gargoyle carved into the back of the wall.  He had no more happy thoughts.  He needed to find Nibbs.  But where did he look?  The Black Castle was empty, and they were not on the Jolly Roger.  Peter dropped his head into his hands.  Between sobs, words could softly be heard.

            "I'm sorry Nibbs.  I'm so sorry.  Please forgive me I'm so sorry Nibbs.  It's all my fault, please forgive me."  Peter's slight frame heaved with each hiccupping gasp he took.

            The stone walls echoed his lonely cries, bouncing them back at him.  He lifted his head slightly, recognizing something familiar about the echoes, but his brain was too muddled to think.

            "Peter!"  It too, echoed over the walls.  Peter's head snapped up.  He knew that voice all too well.  Where was he?  Why did Nibbs sound louder than usual?  But there was no source.  A tear slipped down Peter's cheek.  It was a figment of his imagination.  He guilt was playing upon his emotions.  He once again buried his tear-streaked face in his arms, curling up into a fetal position.  The giant claw he rested in almost seemed to curl in around him, secluding him from the outside world.  The water reflected along the walls, playing across the castle interior.  Peter looked over at one wall, seeing the blue light weave about the stone.  The light swirled and blurred as he watched.  Peter's eyelids became heavy, and the blue light swirls flared brightly as sleep claimed him.

**********

Okies now on to the review thank-yous! *wink* There are only three, but I think it's because people haven't been here to read for some reason.  Oh well. I miss you all! But thank the three who reviewed!

**Tazmainian**** Devil – Haha, thanks! Yea I thought that the angry Curly would be something different. Its cool! I also wanted a story about the Lost Boys. They deserve some of the limelight. Haha. Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoy the rest of the fic.**

**Katy** – Yea poor Nibbs and Peter. It just won't stop! I feel bad for them also. Haha yea a lot of people like the angry Curly part. I think Peter needs to see just how much it affects them, when Nibbs is missing like this. The Lost Boys are really close, and they really do count on Peter to protect them. But they are still boys, so they are young, of course they are going to blame. A lot of people who put the lost boys in their fics, make them act older, but they aren't. So you need to keep to their age. And of course he would get angry at Peter.  Yea I can picture Peter adorably upset also. I mean I literally pictured it that way, although I can't remember exactly how I did. Oh well. Its really cute though.  That's not cool, with the whole page getting all weird on ya! Not cool beans at all!  Do you really think you have to foreshadowing? You have to tell me! I will always tell what I think in my reviews, because even if its wrong, it also helps the author, it takes them down different paths (like saying "wow I never thought about it that way") and I just want to see how you think it is. And maybe you are right. I might tell ya if you are. But please tell me what you think about the foreshadowing. You won't spoil it I promise. No one reads other people's reviews lol.

**Pottersweetie** – Yay! My 'yay' friend gave me a long review! I am so happy you loved it! Haha I am glad you think it was 'god' lol.  I try to work on my vocab lol. I have two writing courses right now in school, so it rubs off on you. And yes, we are going to make Jeremy go to the HP3 premiere! And then we will kidnap him! Lol. But we also have to write to him and get his autograph! Lol. Yea! I know I wouldn't mind going to his house and telling him haha. Can you imagine the looks on his family's face? Yea go to GA sometime (when its open) I could meet you there and we can chill and talk about Peter Pan and HP! Haha! I promise to keep writing because I love getting long reviews! Haha!


	6. Shadows Reminisce

AN - I finished! It is a new chapter for all of you to enjoy! And I think it is the longest one I have written to date! Amazing! I thank you all for hanging in there with me during this tough time.  I just started my HSPA testing, so I most likely will have no time to write at all for this week.  I feel bad. Hopefully this chapter will tie you all over!  Thank yous are at the bottom.

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Shadows Reminisce

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            Wendy and the Lost Boys ran almost in full sprints to the ironic safety of the Black Castle.  The old, rusty gate creaked as they hurried into the dwelling from the Cliffside entrance.  They all but threw themselves down near the gate wheel, each panting to regain their breath.  Outside the rain continued to fall steadily, the soft sound echoing throughout the chamber.

            Tootles turned his large brown eyes towards the gate.  "I remember the last time it rained," he spoke thoughtfully.  The others turned at his soft statement.

            "Don't you remember?" he asked all, turning his head to glance at each person.  He then nodded at one twin, and laughed.  "Peter played a trick on him, using the fluorescent leaves to make himself glow all over.  He flew through the tree house that night and pretended he was a ghost."  The others laughed, remembering.  Wendy smiled as she listened, for she enjoyed hearing stories as much as she enjoyed telling them.  Tootles continued.

            "Hah, the only problem was, he believed Peter."  He turned and spoke to the twin, "You ran off crying hysterically, and Peter could not make you realize that he was really alive and just playing a trick on you.  Peter washed off in the lagoon, crying because of what he had done.  And outside, it rained."

            The laughs died down, and the voices stopped.  Each became lost in their own thoughts and memories.  Wendy produced a tiny smile at the few but lovely memories she had of Peter and the Lost Boys.  Curly spoke up, breaking the silence.

            "Hey do you guys remember the time when Nibbs tricked all of us?" he asked jovially.  The others waited for him to continue.  "Peter brought home our favorite berries for dinner that night, you know, the ones that only grow once a month down at the south side of the island.  Hah, so right before dinner, Nibbs came bursting through the door, holding his stomach, and told us that Hook was in the area…"

**********

            "We need to stop him before he finds our tree house!" Nibbs gasped excitedly.  Peter and the others sprang up from their seats at the table.

            "Another adventure boys come on!" Curly called.  There was a frenzy to gather weapons.  They all turned to Nibbs, who was just standing there.

            "Aren't you coming Nibbs?"  Curly asked.  Nibbs glanced nervously at Peter, then Curly.

            "Oh. . .well. . .I um, I don't feel that well.  I think I need to lie down. . ." he responded, not making eye contact with anyone as he crossed over to his bed of leaves.  "You go on without me this time."

            They all glanced around nervously, unsure, before reluctantly leaving the tree house.  Once they all disappeared, Nibbs smiled slyly to himself, and went over to the table.  He picked up a handful of berries and shoved them in his mouth, closing his eyes in delight.

**********

            Curly smiled reminiscently, shaking his head.

            "Nibbs certainly did pay for his trick.  I don't think any of us has ever had such a stomachache.  He was up all night!"  Slightly nodded.

            "Peter was fuming.  We all know how much he hates it when we play tricks on him, especially when they work!  He was ranting and raving the entire way home from the lagoon.  It almost scared me; Nibbs was done for, for sure!"

            Tootles continued.

            "He completely deflated though when he saw how much pain Nibbs was in!  It was almost surprising!  He almost took it upon himself too, claiming that it was his fault for not seeing through the trick, and stopping Nibbs."

            "Haha yea. . ." Curly followed.  "Ah yea," the laughter died down somewhat.  Curly sat back against the gate wheel.  "Peter never did have the heart to punish Nibbs for anything."

            An uncomfortable silence permeated the air after this last statement.  Wendy glanced at all the downcast faces.  She chuckled lightly and patted the nearest twin's shoulder.

            "Peter never really had the heart to punish any of you.  It was all pretense, a game he played as the role of your father.  But you all know that he cares too much about you all to ever punish any of you for anything, no matter how naughty you were."

            They all nodded, realizing the truth in her words.  Curly stared thoughtfully at the rock floor between his knees.

            "So Nibbs really is Peter's weakness.  We all are."

            No one responded.  Each sat in silence, processing this new statement.  Wendy sat back and rested her head against the stone wall, arms on her knees.  The rain was pounding much harder now, the sound almost deafening when it echoed through the large dreary chamber.  She quickly became lost in her own memories of Neverland, staring across the chamber at the large gargoyle hand.  The choppy waters entering the castle cast blue lights across the walls that flickered and danced wildly.  Wendy's eyes became unfocused; they lazily scanned the blurred walls before returning to the hand of the gargoyle.  She watched the light bounce off the stone figure; she watched the shadows create crazy shapes across the walls; she watched the form inside the hand convulse with a soft sob, barely audible to her ears; she watched the waters crash against the platform leading to the hand.  Her eyes quickly focused as she did a double take.

            What form inside the hand?  It had been empty but a few moments ago!  Quickly she rose, and made her way across the castle, swiftly yet quietly descending the steps leading to the hand.  Relief flooded through her, recognizing the form as Peter.  She knelt next to his sleeping form, careful not to disturb him.  Peter was curled on his left side, facing Wendy, with his legs curled so much, his knees almost touched his chest.  One hand was hidden under his cheek, and his left arm was the pillow cushioning his head.

            Wendy sat quietly, and watched him sleep.  He looked so calm, so peaceful, she mused.  _And yet_… her hand instinctively moved a lock of Peter's hair to the side, noticing the drying tear trails glistening on his face.  Her heart went out to him, "the forever boy.1"   _He is so young_ she realized, gazing at his face, _and he would always be young._  _Yet, for being so young, he had endured so much._

_            Children are supposed to just have fun.  They are not supposed to care about anything.  _She stroked his cheek lightly.  _And Peter, in all his eternal youth, had been through more than any child could imagine.  He appeared to be around 13 or 14 years old, and already, he took care of his lost boys, protected them, from Hook, fought Hook, and now was going through pain no one could imagine, much less understand._

            The lost boys continued to talk in the other corner of the castle.  Their voices were further than the sound could travel coherently, and so she was unable to understand them.  One look told her everything was alright though.  Wendy turned back to Peter.

            Peter let out a muffled sob, tossing a bit in his sleep.  His head began to toss back and forth, and he cried out brokenly, the soft sound piercing through Wendy.  She had heard the lost boys talk of these before: Peter's dreams.  No one knew what he dreamt, for he never remembered anything upon waking up.  He cried out again, and thunder echoed harshly through the castle.  Lightning struck, and the area was lit up brightly.  Wendy winced at the unexpected light.

            Peter was tossing more rapidly now, and the rain came down harder outside.  He uncurled, using the extra leverage of his freed limbs to escape his nightmare.

            Wendy calmly grasped his hand.  Inwardly however, she was terrified; terrified of the unknown, what was happening.

            "Shh. . .it's alright Peter, you're safe. . ." she cooed, hoping he would hear her somehow.  The soft British accent was a stark contrast to the harsh cries and thunder she battled against.  Her other hand gently stroked his forehead, and Peter unconsciously leaned into the touch.  She looked at him puzzled.  Was Peter glowing?  She shook her head, shutting and reopening her eyes.  There is was, a faint blue outline that circled his form.  What was going on?  She closed her eyes once more, and the light was gone when she opened them.  She banished the thoughts, believing it to be a hallucination, and returning to her current task.

            Wendy sat there for a while soothing Peter.  Gradually his cries lessened, then stopped, as did the rain outside.  He no longer tossed about, and blue skies shown outside once he was sleeping peacefully.  The lost boys had stopped talking, watching Wendy with awe.  Peter came to rest with Wendy's arm as his pillow, so Wendy, even if she wished to, could not leave without waking him.  He just looked so peaceful, and she knew he needed as much rest as he could get.

            Wendy leaned back against a finger of the claw and stared up at the gargoyle's face.

            "Strange…" she mused, "the gargoyle looks like the crocodile…" she smiled.  Peter sighed and turned his head slightly.  Wendy glanced down at him, then back up at the gargoyle, the smile never leaving her face.  Her eyes traveled over the contours of the stone; it was weathered and faded after so long being exposed to the elements.  Surprisingly, there were few cracks large enough that she could see in the stone.

            "Well, there is one…" she once again mused, trying to focus on a crack near the base, traveling towards the mouth.  "Now that is **quite** peculiar…" she squinted, trying to get a better look from her position.  "What…"

            Peter sat up suddenly, eyes wide.  He startled Wendy so much that a small squeak issued from her mouth, which turned into his name.  The lost boys stopped talking and turned their heads up to them at the unexpected sound.  Upon seeing Peter awake, they cheered, waiting for Peter and Wendy to come back down and join them.  Wendy smiled also, but it faded as she watched Peter.  He glanced about rapidly, a wild light in his eyes.  She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned toward her suddenly.  She recoiled slightly.

            "Peter, is there something wrong?" she asked quietly.  His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to relax a little.  He ran a hand distractedly through his ruffled blonde locks.  He looked up at the ceiling, and sighed, before looking back at Wendy.  The lost boys followed their movements as they slowly made their way down to ground level.  They excitedly circled around Peter, happy that he was with them and alright, but they also knew that there was something on his mind, so they waited expectantly.

            Peter looked at each one of them in turn, a disturbed gleam in his eyes.  He ran his hand through his hair again, and almost silently, whispered,

            "I remembered my dream."

            There was an oxymoronic uproar of shocked silence that greeted his statement.  The lost boys' jaws all dropped.  Wendy spoke up.

            "Please Peter, if you do not mind, do tell."  He looked at her sadly.

"That's the thing, I just don't understand it!" his voice rose, "and I just don't know what to make of it, but I know that it must be important! I have never remembered any of my dreams! I-" he stopped, mouth open, eyes wide, and stared at the wall behind them.  The others turned quickly, but saw nothing there, so they turned back puzzled.  Peter cast his eyes from the wall to Wendy, the baby blues shining with fright.

            "Oh no…" he whispered.  Wendy cocked her head to the side slightly.

            "What is it Peter?" they watched.  He looked at the twins this time, he attempted to speak, but a small choke came out.  He swallowed and spoke once more.

            "Not again…"  Wendy and the others were officially puzzled, but questions fled, as Peter's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell towards the wet stone they stood on.

**********

Just a little note 1.) That phrase, the forever boy, I did not come up with.  It is the title of a fanfic story posted on "Panslash" a livejournal community, Authored by two people, koneko41 and isilrandir.  I do not take credit for that phrase.

Anyway, I finally was able to post! With the new semester and my chemistry class, I haven't had much time to do any writing. I risk a lot when I attempt to write in class, but I do it anyway, so bit by bit I was able to get this one written! I am sorry it took so long! I really am!  Ok, here are the thank yous. There are only a couple.

**Pottersweetie** – yes we will definitely go to Great Adventure, and we will find a way to get to Jeremy even with the cops chasing us and the dogs and everything. We will do it! Yes I was yelling at you to stop writing a review, because you needed to update yours! That's more important! ;)

**Kaos** – Loving the name! Thank you **so **much for your review. It totally made my day when I received it, and it made me work harder so I could get it up faster!  I will try and work as fast as I can, so that all the chapters are posted ASAP!

I only had two reviews this time, but that's ok, because they still made my day.  Thank you you two!

MLA  
Shauna


	7. Shadow's Mystification

AN – Well guys, chapter 7 is here. I hope you all enjoy it, and I think it's the longest one yet! *claps like a little kid* Anyway, I don't want to talk too long, but I am sorry it was soo late in getting here.  Please review, I know a lot of people don't review, but it really helps the author to know what he/she needs to work on and what the readers like.  So if you review asking for more of something, you have more of a chance of me writing it in, then if you didn't review! So please review! MLA

P.S. I don't know if you guys noticed, but in each chapter, I name the title "shadow something".  And in each chapter, the shadow is something different, that will give you a clue as to what is going to happen next, if you can figger it out.  Can you guys tell what the shadow is?

**********

Shadow's Mystification

**********

            Smee quickly walked through the eerily lit passageways, carrying a hot drink.  Hook glanced up from his papers when Smee walked in.  Upon recognition of his first mate, he looked back down and slammed his fist into the makeshift stone table.  Smee jumped, startled.

            "I don't understand!" Hook angrily began.  "According to this map, we are in the right place!"  Smee silently listened to his captain rant.  "But how come nothing is showing up!?"

            "Maybe its just being overlooked Cap'n..." Smee began, only to be cut off.

            "We are not overlooking anything!  It is right here!  How come the room looks no different!?  These charts all say the room is different!"

            Smee walked behind Hook and set the cup down on the table; he studied the charts, brows furrowed.

            "Cap'n...it says...it reacts only when it is all in this room..." he pointed to the map, "we wouldn't know where it was unless it wasall in there..."

            Once again Hook interrupted his first mate.  A fist slammed once more into the paper at which they had both been looking.  Smee jumped, immediately deciding it would be in his best interest and safety to change the subject, before Hook decided to take out his anger on someone.

            "Come Cap'n, let's get your mind off this nonsense.  Your drink is getting cold, and what about the boy..."

            For the third time, Smee was interrupted.  Hook grabbed the drink and downed it quickly, placing it with the other twelve cups on the table.  He stood up, swaying slightly.

            "Ah, there's nothing like the taste of me best gin, even when it is your twelfth glass."  He grinned at Smee.  Smee gulped; a drunken Hook, albeit a happy drunken Hook, was never a good sign.

            "Come Smee, I have some fun that I wish to enjoy."  He strode out of the side-cave.  Hook's crew glanced up from their various activities when Hook appeared.  He turned to Bill Dukes in the silence that followed.

            "Bring the boy." he commanded, grinning.

**********

            Nibbs barely had time to clear the fog of sleep from his mind, when the pirates roughly grabbed him, pulling him swiftly out of his cave.  He struggled against them, but his resistance proved just as futile as the first time.  The pirates jeered at him when he was dragged into the main cave.  Hook waited patiently, not moving a muscle, until Nibbs was dropped to the ground at his feet.

            Silence fell over the group.

            Only Hook's eyes moved, glancing left, right, the down; no one moved.

            Suddenly Hook knelt down, as if he had never stopped moving.

            "I'm giving you another chance boy.  Where...is....Pan?" he asked, pulling a wooden box towards him.  Even in as much pain as he was in, Nibbs still shook his head.

            "I will never tell you Hook," he replied, defiance gleaming sadly in his eyes.  Hook grinned, nodding as if he knew the answer all along, and Nibbs gulped.  He also knew that a grinning Hook was never a good thing.

            "One thing a pirate should always have," Hook began, opening the box, "is an extensive knowledge," he stopped and smirked at Nibbs, who was lying on his side next to the pirate captain and his box, "of poisons."  Hook grinned as Nibbs eyes widened, and he struggled to remove his bonds.  Hook turned to the box, seemingly carelessly, and removed a nasty looking syringe.  The crew began jeering once again.  Hook turned to Smee.

            "Come Smee, which one should I use first?"  Smee inwardly cringed.  He knew the answer his Cap'n sought.

            "I would say, the analeptic Cap'n."

            Hook nodded, satisfied.  He pulled out the small vial, and put it close to Nibbs face, turning it back and forth, watching the liquid move nonchalantly.

            "Do you know what this is boy?" he leered.  Nibbs shied away as much as he could.

            "Stimoli Nervosa: this is an extremely powerful stimulant boy.  Its so powerful that its effects vary from normal stimulants; it goes right to your central nervous system: everything you feel, even the slightest touch, becomes the utmost agony, for your nerves register this as pain."

            Nibbs wanted to scream; he wanted to run, but he couldn't do either of these.  He would not allow Hook the satisfaction of seeing his pain.  So Nibbs clenched his jaw tight, and bit his lip till he drew blood when Hook filled the syringe and jabbed it into his upper arm.  Just the tiny puncture hurt.

            A fire slowly spread through his body.  The stones he lay on now seemed to be cutting into his side.  He rolled onto his back, tilting his head, breathing harshly.  Hook watched this with a smile.  He locked eyes with Nibbs and quickly pressed his finger into Nibbs cheek.  Nibbs gasped and arched away in immediate reaction.  His back arched when he unconsciously pressed himself into the floor to evade Hook.  The room seemed fuzzier, and he blinked, hoping to regain his focus.  White hot agony raced through his body with every pump of blood through his veins.  Dimly through the pain, he could see Hook preparing another syringe, this time with a different liquid.  He groaned inwardly, nostrils flaring.

            The puncture of the needle into his arm this time felt like a chainsaw amputation.  Nibbs couldn't hold back any longer.  A scream ripped from his throat, and he arched in desperate escape.  His body filled with liquid fire, and Nibbs felt his body temperature rise considerably, face flushing.

**********

            Peter's fall was so sudden that no one reacted for a split second.  Tootles was the first to snap out of it, and he caught Peter's falling body, easing him gently the rest of the way to the floor. Wendy snapped out of it, crying his name, and the other boys reacted upon hearing her cry.

            "Peter!"  Wendy dropped to her knees beside him.  The lost boys followed suite, creating a circle around their fallen leader.

            "What happened?" the twins asked simultaneously, looking at Tootles.  Tootles looked at Slightly, who looked at Curly, who looked at Wendy, who looked down to Peter.  Slightly couldn't resist a small chuckle.

            "Well, whole lotta answers we're getting from him." he remarked.  The others cracked small smiles.  Wendy watched worriedly as Peter's breathing became heavier until he was gasping, his thin chest trying desperately to draw in enough air.  Wendy pressed her hand to his forehead; Peter cried out, shaking his head back and forth in an attempt to remove her hand.  Wendy quickly withdrew her hand, shocked.

            Peter opened pain-filled eyes suddenly and turned his head slowly back towards Wendy, lips moving to form words.  No sounds issued from his mouth however, so Wendy leaned down.  Peter wheezed.

            "It...hurts..." he managed in barely more than an agonized whisper.  His eyes rolled, and he moaned helplessly.  Wendy gently touched his arm, and he arched away from her touch.  They looked at the spot she had touched curiously, wondering why he reacted so.  There was a red puncture mark, seemingly embedded into his upper arm.  Once again Peter moaned, tossing his head.  They were all afraid to touch him, and Wendy was at a loss.  Peter's moan suddenly spiraled into a scream; his neck arched from the floor, tilting his head back, and he grabbed his upper arm, clutching at it desperately, in an attempt to alleviate his pain.

            His scream seemed to double in volume.  Both voices echoed through the castle; Wendy and the lost boys looked around.  Nibbs seemed so close, he seemed so near, he seemed right there.  This wasn't the only thing that shocked them however:

            Peter's voice echoed

            the exact

            same

            way.

**********

            Hook watched Nibbs with such smug satisfaction; one would have thought Christmas came early.  He pulled out a second syringe, filling it with "Sogni Febbricitanti", knowing Nibbs was watching him.  The curious blue liquid glowed in the candle light.

            The boys scream sweetly filled his ears when he jammed the second needle in.  Hook closed his eyes in delight, savoring the sound.  His grin grew when the scream doubled in volume, before he snapped his eyes open.  The boy wasn't the only one screaming!  He recognized that voice; he had heard it before…Pan!  Peter Pan was screaming also!

            Hook turned to Smee, who had also recognized the voice.  He selected another liquid, to counteract analeptic, and quickly inserted the third needle into Nibbs, whose screams grew then died away to gasping breaths.  Hook listened intently, noticing that Peter's echoing screams grew before dying away in unison with Nibbs.  He grinned down at the gasping boy beside him.

            "What connection do you have with Pan boy?"

            Nibbs just glared.

            "Why is Pan screaming with you?"

            More glares.

            "Answer me boy!"

            Hook shook Nibbs roughly by the shoulders, in emphasis.  He returned the glare the factitiously feverish boy continued giving him.  Nibbs ground his teeth together against the pain and fought to keep his vision clear.  Nibbs was just as shocked as Hook, but he was not about to tell Hook.  He managed to gather enough breath.

            "I don't know." He hissed between his clenched teeth.  Hook did not believe him; he slapped Nibbs across the face harshly, leaving a red mark.

            "Tell me the truth boy!" he responded forcefully.

            But it was no use; Nibbs had finally passed into blissful oblivion.  Hook shot a look of disdain at him and motioned Bill Dukes to take Nibbs back to his cave.

**********

            Wendy did not know what to do.  She glanced at the lost boys, but they were just as shocked as she was; their wide eyes traveling from Peter to each other.  If it was at all possible, Peter's screams intensified, the knuckles of his clutching hand bone white, as he unconsciously almost cut off the circulation to his left arm.  His visage became exceedingly red, and sweat dripped from his brow.  All Wendy could do was watch hopelessly, for there was nothing she could do.  She longed to hold him close, and soothe him: make all his pain go away.  She could not bear to see her Peter in pain, especially in a pain where she did not know its source.  

            "Did I just call Peter mine?" The thought entered Wendy's head unbidden.  She shook her head to clear it, as Peter's screams receded to gasping breaths once more.

            Wendy called his name, unsure if he was conscious or not.  He moaned, and turned his head slowly toward her.  She took the chance and removed his hand from his arm.  Beneath it were three puncture marks, and Wendy knew what must have happened instantly.  He no longer cried out at her touch, which she took as a good sign, so she placed her hand upon his burning forehead.

            He slowly opened feverishly glazed eyes at her soothing touch.  His eyes shifted back and forth from Wendy to the empty space beside her.

            "Wendy?, why are there two of you?" he asked in a small voice.  Wendy smiled a sad smile.  Even though it wrenched her heart to see him like this, she could not help but smile at his innocence.  Her thumb stroked his heated forehead.

            "Because you're sick Peter," Was the only answer she could accurately answer.  He stared blankly between the two Wendys, rolled his head left the back again, and looked at her.  He squinted.

            "Wendy?" he asked again.  She nodded.

            "You're really pretty Wendy," he almost slurred, eyes rolling dizzily.  The lost boys tried to stifle chuckles with their hands, earning them reproachful looks from the aforementioned girl.  Peter shivered, the chills running up his spine.

            "Peter, you don't know what you're saying, you're feverish." She responded remorsefully, inwardly wishing he weren't.  She had wanted Peter to love her back, as she loved him, ever since Peter had show up on her windowsill all those nights ago; but now he was feverish, and didn't know what he was saying, she knew that.  Wendy shook her head.

            "We need to get him home." She told the boys.  Curly began helping her get Peter up, but his voice stopped them.

            "Noooo…ooo…..oooooo…ooo" he trailed in a half moan.

            "Peter we need to take you home!" Wendy replied.  He shook his head, well, rather, lolled his head in denial, as soon as she began speaking.

            "Must…help…Nibbs…" he trailed again, breathlessly, "can't…stop…" It came out basically as a slur.  Wendy shook her head, surprised that he could even be thinking of Nibbs in the state he was in.  She nodded to Curly and they once again helped him sit up.  Peter still fought them.

            "We can't!" he managed, with more force, he head now resting on Curly's shoulder.  "We hafta fin- Nibbs…almos dere."  His uninjured arm waved, seemingly in random circles.  Wendy gently grasped his hand, holding it in both of hers, and halting its movement.

            "Peter, we don't even know where Nibbs is…" she began.  He cut her off, shaking his head against Curly's shoulder.

            "He's righ dere." He replied.  Wendy looked over her shoulder at the gargoyle, but saw no one.

            "Peter, that's just the gargoyle-"

            "No!  He dere!  Hes righ in dere! He interrupted; the conviction, albeit slurred conviction in his words almost made Wendy think twice.  She decided not to shake her head this time, and merely stopped arguing with Peter.  The arguing was taking a toll on his already depleted strength, she realized, watching his shiver with more force, his hand unconsciously clenching around hers.  This time she nodded.

            "Alright Peter, we will stay here, but you must rest!  No moving ok?"

            But all Peter's will to move seemed to have left him.  His eyes rolled once more as he looked at her, before he turned into the crook of Curly's neck, quickly slipping into a feverish slumber.

            Curly looked up at Wendy, somehow sensing her jealousy, as she watched Peter sleep against his shoulder.  Gently he shifted, and passed Peter over to Wendy.  Peter sensed the change in position and buried his face into Wendy's neck.  Wendy smiled protectively down at the sleeping angel on her shoulder, and then looked up, locking eyes with Curly in thanks.  He winked and nodded in understanding.

            Tink appeared from behind the gargoyle, quickly flying into the faces of the twins.  One twin filled the bowl again with water, and she sprinkled it with her fairy magic once more, not having to tell them what needed to be done.  Wendy nodded to Tink in gratitude, and Tink smiled back, knowing that Wendy could take care of him while she was away.  With one more look at her sleeping best friend, she vanished once more behind the gargoyle.  Again she could not help but double check that everything was alright, before quietly disappearing into a small crack in the wall, curiosity peaked by its stygian gloom.

            The sun had begun to go down in Neverland, and its setting rays created a spectrum of color that shined through the castle, lighting it with an iridescent glow.  Wendy and the lost boys settled back and watched as Neverland followed her master into slumber.

**********

            Chapter 7 is finished!  It took me so long to write, I know, but I was writing like five words in between notes, if that shows you just how much time I have in and out of school to write. :/  I hope you all enjoyed it, as you can see, a new plot twist! Haha.  Now on to the review responses.

**Nat** – Wow, thank you for such compliments! I am not sure I deserve them! Yea I hate all the work.  There is just so much going on, it makes me wish for summer, so that I could kick back and just write. But its not as bad, because I am on spring break right now, so I don't have anything to do right now.  I don't think I will be delaying this fic, and definitely not stopping it.  I love it too much, and its what keeps me sane during school. Haha I am sure that if people do not read this, they won't see your review telling them to read it. ;) thanks though!

**Hailee** – Cops and dogs definitely! We can bring the kibbles doughnuts.  And we are all set! You are so random hun, but I love it.  Keep writing your fic, and thanks for reviewing mine! Glad to see you like it so much! We WILL go to the premiere, we WILL! Lol.

MLA

**Val** – haha is this more enough?  I hope so.  I'm sorry it took me so long to update! Thanks for reviewing! It means a lot to me!

Well, there are only three for this chapter, but you guys are awesome, so I am happy. yayY!  Until next time guys!, go read "Let the Fight Begin" and "Some Things Never Change" because they are amazing.

MLA

Shauna


	8. Shadow Dreams:Part II

AN – Wow guys, it definitely has been a long time since I posted/updated this fic. I felt really bad,

because I stopped and had no time over the summer. But all of you lovely reviewers have made me

resolute enough to finish this chapter, and with luck be able to continue with the next chapters and

finish this! So it is with many thanks to all of my reviewers that I now present to you this chapter!

M> L A   
Shauna

Shadow Dreams: Part II

Wendy carefully shifted, trying to get comfortable without disturbing Peter, who had not woken

since yesterday evening. Wendy had been up all night, for she refused to sleep when they were so

out in the open. In truth, the floor of the Black Castle was too rough for anyone to sleep on, and so

midday found Wendy and the boys speaking to each other in low voices, attempting to pass the

time.

"I wonder what Peter's dream was." Slightly mused. The twins nodded. Wendy almost shrugged

her shoulders, but remembered not to just in time. Tootles however didn't have to worry about

waking anyone, and so he shrugged.

"Who knows," He responded, "but whatever it was, it must have been very important, since Peter

actually remembered it."

"Maybe it has something to do with Nibbs?" Curly asked to no one in particular.

"Could be." Wendy said. Peter shifted, but did not wake up. Wendy looked down at him, then back

up.

"I wish he would wake up. I want to give him the medicine from Tink as soon as possible." She

continued, though on a different tangent, as she pulled the bowl closer. Tink had refilled it with

more faerie dust and water the night before. Tootles looked around.

"Speaking of Tink, where is she?" he asked. The others noticed her absence.

"Its not like her to leave Peter for so long, especially when he needs her." Slightly responded. The

twins nodded in agreement.

Peter moaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. He squinted at them, waiting for his eyes to

become adjusted to the daylight peaking through the openings of the castle. Everyone leaned in,

happy he was awake. Each spoke his name as an exclamation in their own way. Wendy helped him

sit up enough to drink Tink's mixture. He shut his eyes and waited for it to take effect. A sigh of

relief escaped him and he reopened them, feeling much better. Wendy felt his forehead, satisfied

with the temperature.

"Hey Peter, what was your dream?" Curly asked, curiousity peaked. Peter thought, trying to

remember. A light went on in his head when he did remember, but his face darkened with confusion,

for although he remembered, he still did not understand.

"It was weird," he began. Everyone, including Wendy, leaned forward listening intently.

"I don't remember all of it, but…" he paused to gather his thoughts. "I saw myself," he began again.

There was an uproar, but it quieted when he held up his hand. "I don't know where I was. I just

remember seeing the forest behind me. I was talking to someone, I don't know who…" He trailed off,

voice cracking.

"I-"he gulped, "the person killed me! Just…killed… me. I don't know how but all of a sudden I

was….dead. I tried to run to myself, but I couldn't. And my hand went right through the person as if

I weren't there. They couldn't see me or hear me." Peter was shaking now.

"I tried to run, scream, do something…anything! But there was nothing I could do. It was as though

I were a spirit, or wraith. Eidolon…" he trailed off again, but spoke before anyone else could.

"The person, they turned and looked straight at me. I couldn't see anything but their eyes." He

shuddered, and when he continued, it was as though he were speaking to himself.

"Such bright, bright blue eyes. They just stared at me. I was transfixed, and couldn't move. The

eyes they just became a blinding blue, so bright, everything faded, and all I could see was a flash of

this blue." He stopped and turned wide eyes to Wendy. "And then I woke up."

Wendy of course did not know what to say. Dreams were normally weird and not likely to be

interpreted. However it is an extremely different story when the dream is Peter's and he actually

remembers it. The Lost Boys were all exchanging looks, as though holding a conversation with their

eyes. Peter had looked back down at his hands, and did not seem to notice the glances he received

from the Lost Boys at various intervals. Peter sighed.

"I woke up!?" he mumbled to himself, half in question.

"Peter, everyone wakes up from their dreams. You have to." Wendy replied almost jovially, inwardly

laughing at his foolishness. Peter seemed to break his trance and looked back at her.

"No Wendy, in my dream…I woke up." Wendy cast her eyes downward, shocked.

"Oh…?" tentatively she looked up. "So that means there must be more to the dream than you are

telling us?" she asked. Peter almost felt his face, wondering is there was a sign on his forehead that

she was reading. He nodded. The Lost Boys gathered in close again. Peter closed his eyes,

remembering. They could see his eyes moving behind closed lids, wandering through corridors of a

different world.

"I don't know where I was. It was some sort of house, very eerie feeling, just creepy. There were

other people there, but I couldn't see their faces. Nibbs was there though. We were sitting on the

sill of a really large window, but there was no window on it. It was just as though the wall had been

removed or something. Anyway, someone was pushed out of the window, and we watched them

fall, just inside the fence in the yard, not moving. They were just dead. That's when Nibbs came up

actually. He sat next to me and asked who was just pushed out. I told him, but now I can't remember

who it was…"

_Nibbs turned and stared at the form in the yard. He tisked his tounge, before turning back to _

_Peter.   
_

_"They were supposed to land on the outside of the fence!" Peter looked at him, shocked and _

_horrified, not to mention confused, but Nibbs did not elaborate.   
_

_"There's nothing we can do, "he began on a new tangent," we are all a part of it. All a part of this _

_vicious neverending cycle; and there's nothing we can do about it, we're all a part of it." By now _

_Peter was completely lost, but once more Nibbs refused to make squares from the circles of riddles _

_he was speaking._

"It was so weird." Peter continued, eyes still closed as he relayed the dream: commentating as the

events unfolded before his eyes.

"The person who had fallen and died, suddenly just got up and joined our conversation. They

stood on the side fence to the backyard, but somehow they were at eye level with us, and we were

on the second floor!" Peter shook his head in disbelief, and the confusion factor rose.

"They seemed to understand everything I didn't. I was so confused. Not to mention the person

refused to look at me until the very end."

Here he shuddered.

"I remember those eyes, they became clear, when they seemed to look right through me. So intense,

and they just stared. There was no more conversation, they stared with those eyes. And the eyes!,

they were so blue, and kept getting brighter. Suddenly there was a flash of white, and then it all

went black, and then I woke up for real." Peter opened his eyes with this last statement.

Wendy could not help but notice the silence. The Lost Boys were always so talkative, especially

when their father was with them. Yet recently, it was silent as soon as they were all together, save

for when Peter or she were talking. It was as if their very personalites had been affected by the

recent events.

Of course, she must also take into account that there was not much to say. The topics they spoke of

were quite confusing. What point was there in opening their mouths only to exclaim, "I don't know"

when that much was already obvious?

But the silence now seemed deafening, bordering on uncomfortable. Peter broke the repressive

silence wistfully.

"I wish Tink were here."

The statement caused them all to look around for the temperamental faerie, with no luck.

"Where is Tink?" the twins whispered to Slightly. Peter answered, though he seemed to be

speaking to himself.

"She found something." Wendy watched his face, but he gave no more indication of continuing his

statement.

"How do you know this Peter?" she asked, shocked. Peter, who had seemed to withdraw within

himself, now seemed to snap back out of it.

"I…I don't know." He answered truthfully. He knew Wendy was unconvinced, but he really did not

know how he knew. Yet he was sure that Tink had found something; something that would help

them find Nibbs; and now, she was being delayed from returning to them by something. He shook

his head. Where did that come from? How did he know this?! Peter looked at the others; they were

all watching him skeptically, so he decided to remain silent. Slightly finally changed the subject,

asking the question that was on all their minds.

"So what do we do now?" Everyone turned from him to Peter, waiting expectantly for an answer.

Once more he opened his mouth to speak, but his shoulders slumped, and he cast his eyes to the

floor.

"I don't know." He replied, just above a whisper.

"Well what should we do?" Tootles this time.

"I don't know."

"Then how did you know about Tink?" Slightly again.

"I don't know." The others were becoming agitated by his lack of a useful answer.

"Do you know anything?" Tootles angrily asked. Peter looked up this time, defiance in his eyes.

"Yes I do." He responded through his teeth. Wendy put a hand to her temple. She could see what

was quickly transpiring, and it was not going to be beneficial. In fact, an argument would be

extremely detrimental to their cause at the moment.

"Boys! Stop it!" she cut in. They didn't hear her.

"Boys!" she repeated sharply. Everyone, including Peter, stopped and looked at her. "Stop arguing.

If Peter doesn't know what to do, than we need to figure what to do, not argue about what he does

know." The way she put it made them all feel silly. But tempers were all running high with the stress

level, and Wendy understood this.

"Now, I think our best bet is to wait for Tink. She will most likely help, not to mention she can help

decipher your dream Peter." Peter nodded. She turned to the Lost Boys.

"Are any of you hungry?" Nods. "As am I. Its about time for lunch, and we missed breakfast, lunch,

and dinner yesterday." Nods. "Now would probably be a great time to find some food." More nods.

"Stay together, watch out for Pirates, and come back as soon as possible." She ordered. Even more

nods.

Peter started to get up with them, but Wendy stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"You are staying here." She spoke, her tone leaving no room for arguments. Peter humphed and say

back down, arms crossed over his chest.

Slightly winked at Curly, and the Lost Boys all filed out of the castle.

"I don't see why I couldn't go with them." Peter retorted when they left. Wendy crossed her legs

and made herself comfortable, knowing ahead of time that Peter would react this way. She leaned

her head against the wall and shut her eyes; because she had been up all night watching Peter

sleep, she was now very tired.

Her silence and feigned carelessness only spurred Peter's anger.

"Hey Wendy! Why couldn't I go?!" he asked again, with more force. Wendy could have smiled at

how rhetorical the question sounded, but her stress levels were far too high. She just wanted to

sleep.

"Weeeennndddyyy! Why are you ignoring me?" Peter whined after her continued silence. Wendy

opened her eyes and sat up suddenly, her face inches from Peter's.

"You want to know why I'm ignoring you Peter? Do you want to know? It's because I am tired. I

stayed up all night watching you sleep and making sure nothing happened to you, and I'm tired! I

just want to-"Peter put two fingers to her lips, halting the soliloquoy. Wendy angrily went to

remove his fingers, but his soft words stopped her immediately.

"You stayed up all night watching me?" Wendy wanted to kick herself for letting that come out.

Peter removed his hand and looked at the ground quizzically. Wendy saw him form the words,

"making sure nothing happened to you" to himself, and he looked back up at her.

"Why?" he asked innocently. Wendy could not look at him; she dropped her eyes trying to come

up with some plausible answer. Thoughts passed through her mind so quickly that they became a

jumbled mess, leaving her fumbling and stuttering for words. Peter cocked his head to the side,

watching her reaction almost calculatingly. For Wendy, this was the last thing she needed. Finally

she just gave up and sighed, shutting her eyes, as if closing them would make the situation go

away. A hand on her cheek made her open them again.

"Wendy?" he asked quietly, inquiringly. She opened her eyes at the quiet tone in his voice.

"Why did you stay up all night watching me?" He implored, eyes wide with an unquestionable

innocence. And all Wendy could do was open her mouth and answer him as truthfully as

possible…

Well, there you have it. And I have all my reviewers to thank for this chapter! Once again I love you

all! With luck the other one will be up soon. The more reviews I get the faster I update, because it

makes me feel good to know that people are reading.

**Val** – haha is this more good enough? I hope so lol.

**Pottersweetie** – Hey gurlie! Wow it has been so long! I remember not being able to go to the

premiere. Sorry I haven't been here in so long! My puter broke and I'm still using my brothers! I miss

you! That is what Wendy should be saying, but she just can't do it! She will though...eventually!

Sorry it took me so long to update!

**Nat** – Wow hunnie it has been so long! I miss talking to you so much and reading your fic! It still

isn't over and I really need to keep reading because you know I was your biggest fan! You must

update soon, hopefully since I updated you will too! Haha serious moments or not, Peter is always

cute ;) Wow I hope this chapter is as good as you were hoping it would be! Can't wait to talk to you

again! I miss you!

**Lotty** – Why thank you! I tried really hard to keep the emotions and characters to their characters.

Personally I thought that I had done a poor job of it, but apparently I didn't! Thank you though it

means a lot to me that you said that. What a compliment. Thank you so much. I intend on becoming

a professional writer, so you just gave me such a big boost!

**Polly** – Yes I am planning on continuing this story (can't you tell? Haha) Thank you so much! I

didn't want to write a fic that was like all the other Peter Pan ones out there, so I guess I did my job

well!

**Jettara** – I am trying to update as much as possible, but I doubt it will be finished soon. My original

plans were to actually make this into a trilogy, which is really long in my planbook, but plans change

so who knows. I just know that it is going to be a while before this one is finished! Thank you for

the review!

I love you all!   
M >L A   
Shauna


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